If digestion stops, I guess it's bad to eat ANYTHING, since it'll just rot there... but if metabolism keeps going, but becomes catabolic, it might be wise to eat something starchy, and with some protein in it, just so it can slowly digest it and keep metabolism in sweet, anabolic mode.

your metabolism during the night doesnt just shut off. It basically slows down 9i dont know eactly how much), and slowly digests any food in your stomach at that time. Its basically what it does durign the day, just slower.

Your metabolism slows down when you go to sleep, then speeds up again really early in the morning, about 3:00 am usually. This is why if you wake up at that time it's really hard ot go back to sleep. As for your digestion, at the same time your matabolism speeds up, your digestion begins focussing more on elimination.

during sleep your body is pretty much using calories at the basal metabolic rate. Since transit time for foods is usually of the order of 24 hours, there is PLENTY of nourishment from the day before being pulled from the intestines to avoid too much catabolism. The brain can also call upon liver stores of glycogen if it needs some "sugar."

The net effect is usually muscles being BUILT during sleep rather than consumed.

well if you are eating enough during the day your body is not eating muscles, it uses fat when you sleep, muscles are built up during the night as growth hormone is reelased to heal minor damages to tissues and if you have been exercising help to build up those muscles.

fat is slowly burned, and is ideal for when you are sleeping, even if you eat before going to bed you still burn some of your caloires as fat as well as what you ate, but less is burned overall then if you go to bed without eating, but that only works if you are not hungry and your body has no desire or need for fuel at that time, going to be hungry can actually slow your metabolism down even more and burn less fat, and yes muscles will be used to make up the deficit.

If you are hungry before bed try eating lightly like fruit, cereal cottage cheese etc, not junk, and try eating more earlier in the day, eat most of your big meals by 1 or 2 in the afternoon, after a few months of this you will find you don't get hungry hardly at all at night, well it worked for me anyway.

I know that if I go to bed hungry I have a fitful sleep but I sleep better if I eat if I am hungry before bed which nowadays because of eating alot during the day doesn't happen often, except pms times.